Daily Study Material

Phrasal Verb of the Day: Lay off.

Meaning: To suspend someone from a job (during a slow period) transitive. Often companies will reduce the number of workers working for them due to lack of revenues, or company income, such as we are seeing these days around the world as a consequence of the financial collapse that came out of America. However, more typical use(s) of Lay off are 1, to stop doing something or using something, or to avoid it ( informal ) transitive and intransitive. 2, to stop irritating or bothering somebody ( informal ) transitive and intransitive. 3, to measure or mark something off, to measure off a distance or mark out the boundaries of something. (However, in American English we would probably use the verbal phrase "lay out" instead). transitive verb. And finally, a meaning that I wasn't even familiar with (and thus a very obscure meaning, but I'll give it to you anyway), 4, to reduce or avoid risk on a bet as a bookmaker by placing all or part of a bet with another bookmaker. Hmmm, the last one sounds tricky. A bookmaker, by the way, is someone who, playing "The House", takes bets on sporting events, or anything that people gamble on the outcome of.

Here are some examples.
"The company was losing money, so they had to lay off 100 workers".
"I have to lay off ice cream". I'm getting fat". (speakers will often use "the" preceding the object, as in "I laid off the ice cream and lost a lot of weight".
"Hey, lay off! I don't want to hear any more of your complaining" or, "lay off the complaining" or "lay off the noise", etc. Or just, "hey, buddy. Lay off."
(No further examples).

Idiom of the Day: Keep An Eye On (someone/something)
This is a fairly simple idiom to understand. It merely means to watch something carefully, usually with the idea that you need to be cautious or concerned.

"Keep an eye on that frying pan. I don't want the vegetables to burn".
"Keep an eye on that player, number 23. He is very good". (It can also simply mean that you should pay attention to something for any number of reasons).

Song of the Day: White Rabbit, The Jefferson Airplane. 1967.

This song is by a band that came from my home region; San Francisco, California. They epitomized the "psychedelic sound" of that time and place. The guitar intro to this song is so hypnotic! I always wish it were longer. And the bass movement and that bolero beat! It's too much! When you add singer Grace Slick's vocals and lyrics, it's overwhelming! "White Rabbit" was a trippy rock & roll bolero written by Airplane vocalist Slick. She said of the song, "our parents read us stories like Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz. They all have a place where children get drugs, and are able to fly or see an Emerald City or experience extraordinary animals and people.... And our parents are suddenly saying, 'Why are you taking drugs?' Well, hello!"

The Sherpa doesn't encourage drug use, but musicians of that time, and probably of all times, always have done them. Song #478 on Rolling Stone Magazine's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.